The Way Forward
by LadySparrow01
Summary: ... is sometimes the way back. 'I knew it hadn't been a dream. No. There was far too much evidence to the contrary for me to believe that. But I did, all those nights ago while laying in bed after the triumph and the party that followed, expect to forget. Wasn't that the way these things were done' Takes place seven years after the film.
1. Part 1

The Way Forward

(A _Labyrinth_ short story)

By Lady Sparrow

"So, young woman, the way forward is sometimes the way back."

I knew it hadn't been a dream. No. There was far too much evidence to the contrary for me to believe that. But I did, all those nights ago while laying in bed after the triumph and the party that followed, expect to forget. Wasn't that the way these things were done? You'd wake up at home the morning after and not remember a single thing that had transpired save for, of course, the lesson you learned along the way. At least that's the way it was done in the books I'd read. Alice forgot Wonderland and Wendy forgot Peter.

But I would never forgot the Labyrinth.

I had woken up the next morning with all the memories I'd collected during my thirteen hours in that place still vividly painted in my mind. And every now and then, in the time that followed, I was reminded of the untold dangers and unnumbered hardships that I'd managed to withstand. I'd wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes, drenched in a cold sweat and completely convinced that I really had been left in the Oubliette. Or sometimes I'd catch the scent of something foul, like sewer, and find my back pressed to the nearest wall in order to keep myself from plunging into the Bog of Eternal Stench... that I knew full well wasn't really there.

Once, a few weeks after I had arrived back home, I even batted a peach right out of Karen's hand. It had flown across the kitchen and slammed into the far wall in an amazing spray of fruit. And as Karen went running from the room in a fit of tears my father had shouted something like, 'For God's sake Sarah! I know you don't get along with your Stepmother but that was completely unnecessary!' before he ran out after his wife.

These moments of terror, when I truly believed myself to be back in the Labyrinth, always passed quickly, however. And I always returned to myself again rather quickly. I did apologize for the incident with the peach. Not that it mattered much. I'd never been able to see eye to eye with that woman.

By far the most troubling new development in my life was the sudden overprotective nature I developed towards my half-brother. Anytime he so much as sniffled I found myself at his side to ensure his well being. And Heaven forbid Toby ever stumble on the side walk or trip on the rug. While he was learning to walk was a particularly stressful time for me. I took it upon myself to redouble the baby-proofing efforts that I had previously found so troublesome and irritating. Where Toby was concerned, there was no such thing as being too safe.

It was a beautiful autumn day. The sky was clear and there was just enough of a chill in the air to justify the off-gold cardigan I was wearing over my white button-up top. Toby, true to his almost-seven-year-old nature, was tearing up and down the wooden play structure in some kind of chase-and-tag game with the other children. The rules were ambiguous at best and mostly seemed to consist of teams that took turns trying to catch one another.

"He's fine, Sarah."

When my father called me out, I forced myself to look away from the game. I hadn't really realized I'd been watching my brother like a hawk. But really, who could blame me? I knew from experience that the old and worn down playground was far from being safe. Bad splinters were a real possibility not to mention the potential for falling off the higher parts of the structure.

' _What is wrong with all of these parents?'_ I thought to myself as I looked around at the other adults stationed in small groups around the park, ' _Not a one of them is actually watching their kids.'_

All the adults I could see were either chatting loudly with one another or else flipping through glossy magazines or grocery store novels. I simply couldn't believe it. But I wasn't really that surprised. It was like this every Friday afternoon.

"He's fine, Sarah." My father said again as we stood together on the edge of the playground.

I took a breath and shook my head, "I know, I know. I just worry about him."

"That's precisely what I wanted to talk to you about." He replied, "I'm concerned that you're spending too much time fretting over your brother. Don't you have other things that need your attention? Like school for example. You're already taking more courses than you should be as it is. How can you expect yourself to focus on school, balance your social life and worry after Toby all at once? You're going to make yourself sick."

"School's fine. I can handle my classes." I smiled at him, trying my very best to look convincing, "Really, I can."

Just then there was the unmistakable sound of a child landing hard in the gravel of the playground. I whipped around. Toby was slowly pushing himself back up from where he'd fallen off the monkey bars, examining the bloody cut on his dusty elbow with mild interest. In an instant I found myself flying towards him.

I dropped to my knees in the gravel beside him and gently took his arm in my hands to examine the scrape. A month after I had returned from the Labyrinth I took a first aid course at the Recreational Center across town. And I had made a point of keeping my certification up to date ever since. You never could tell when something like that would come in handy.

"Are you alright?" I questioned, my voice more fearful than I'd hoped it would be, "I didn't see the fall. You didn't hit your head did you? Are you dizzy? Do you feel sick?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Toby insisted, "It's nothing. Just a little scrape."

"Just because it isn't bad doesn't mean it's nothing." I lectured as I pulled a band-aid out of my tan backpack, "And it could always be worse. This should take care of it for now. But you have to disinfect it as soon as you get home. This gravel is probably full of germs and goodness only knows what else."

"You always fuss too much." Toby pulled a face as he watched me secure the band-aid over his cut.

"Yeah, well, I fuss because I care." I ruffled his curly blonde hair and shoved the band-aid wrapper back in my pack.

Toby stuck out his tongue at me playfully before joining the other kids again. I smiled to myself as I dusted off my jeans. He could be such a brat sometimes. But he really was a good kid when it came down to it. As I crossed back to where my father was standing he crossed his arms over his chest. There was an almost weary look on his face.

"What?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

" _That_ ," He pointed to where Toby was making a second attempt at the monkey bars, "is exactly what I'm talking about Sarah. You can't keep rushing to his side for every little thing. I love that you care about him this much. I really do. But he needs to learn that the odd bruise or scrape isn't the end of the world. And you always babying him isn't going to help him learn that lesson any easier."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and finger.

"I just wish you could relax." He went on, "Toby turns seven next week and Karen and I have decided to get him a bicycle."

I opened my mouth to protest as a thrill of panic fluttered through my stomach. But whatever argument I might have made was stopped short by the hand my father was holding out in front of him. I made myself listen instead.

"He's been asking to learn for months and we think he's ready. It's something that we've discussed at length. I need you to promise me that you'll let him do this."

"But –" I started.

My father put his hands on my shoulders, "You _need_ to let him do this, Sarah. You need to ease up and let Karen and I be the parents for once. You don't always have to be worrying about your little brother. You're twenty-two years old, for goodness sake. Have fun, spend time with your friends, go on a date. And let _me_ take care of Toby, okay?"

Even if I could see his point, I wasn't happy about it. Bikes were dangerous on their own but having access to one meant that Toby would be free to wander the neighborhood unsupervised and alone. But there was something in my father's eyes that kept me from saying so.

I nodded slowly, "Okay."

"Promise?" He cracked a warm smile.

"Promise." I agreed, trying my best to return the expression.

"And here I thought you moving out would help you to ease up." He continued, putting an arm around my shoulders in a tight side-hug, "I suppose some things are harder to change than others."

"I guess so." I watched as Toby scampered back and forth across one of the wooden bridges.

"You know, I'm always amazed by how drastic your change in attitude towards Toby was. You used to never want anything to do with him. And then," He snapped his fingers for emphasis in the way he sometimes did, "just like that, you were inseparable. It's like it happened overnight."

' _Believe me… it really wasn't that simple.'_ I thought.

I had never actually told my father or stepmother what had happened that night seven years ago. And even if I had, they never would have believed me. I remembered that, in the weeks and months that immediately followed, I had tried to suss out what their reaction might be to such a thing. I asked them a few innocent questions. Did they believe in Faeries? Did they think hidden worlds were possible? Had they ever seen anything like magic before? Could Goblins exist? The answer was always a firm 'No' followed by a short lecture on the wonders of modern science and how, if anything like that did exist, someone would have already found it by now. I slowly came to understand and realize that I would never be able to tell my father or stepmother what had happened the night I wished Toby away.

Later, after the park had been exhausted, I found myself in the living room of my childhood home listening to yet another of Karen's 'what are you going to make of your life' speeches. I was sitting on the sofa, watching as she paced back and forth across the floor. Every now and again she would brandish her hands or fling them out to her sides for emphasis. And she had the nerve to call me dramatic. Delightful.

"Honestly, Sarah!" She popped her hands onto her hips, "All that time mulling about trying to decide what you'd do, a year off here or a year working there. Not to mention wasting last year drifting through open studies. And this is what you choose? How can you expect to get by as a Drama Major? Do you think that some director will just hand you a leading role on a silver platter the instant you walk out of college? And even then, it would be a miracle for you to get anywhere in that dead-end business!"

"I'm minoring in English Literature." I pointed out, trying to stay calm.

"As if that's any better! You can't put food on the table selling books. Even those who manage to write a bestseller struggle to make ends meet. Why not give psychiatry a chance at least? It's worked out wonderfully for your Father and he thinks you'd be a natural. You need to stop chasing fantasies and focus on something real for once in your life! How do you expect to ever find a husband if all you do is mope around with a head full of nonsense? And, believe me, no man wants to settle down and try to build a life with some flaky actress. I mean, just look at your Mother!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded, sitting forward on the sofa.

She had crossed a line and I simply couldn't take it.

"Sarah," Karen huffed at me, "I only meant that- "

"No, I know exactly what you meant." I stood up, "Leave my Mother out of this! You know nothing about her or her life. Just like you know damn-all about mine! You can't change my mind about school. What I do with my life is up to me. And as for all that 'finding a husband' nonsense, well, you'd be the last person I'd talk to about it! Why can't you just stay out of my life and leave me alone?!"

Just then my father came down the stairs carrying a medium sized cardboard box, "Here we go, Sarah. I think this is the last of your things. I -"

He stopped short when he saw Karen and I squared off in the middle of the living room, understanding what was happening. I shot my stepmother one last glare, then swept across the space with as much grace as I could manage. I was determined to make a dignified exit.

"Thanks." I said, taking the box from him, "I'm going to go."

Karen sighed loudly from behind me.

"At least let me drive you." My father protested, "I don't like the idea of you catching a train alone at this time of night."

I could see his point. It had gotten dark during my visit and the subway at night could be an unruly place. On a better day I might have risked it. But with my emotions running so high, making the journey by myself was probably an unwise decision. There was no sense in me running off and risking my personal safety just to slight my stepmother.

"Alright." I agreed.


	2. Part 2

In the car I held the box of my belongings on my lap as I looked out the window. The evenly placed suburban streetlights illuminated the interior of the vehicle at even intervals as we drove down the darkened road. I could tell that my father wanted to say something to me. He was stewing in a particularly heavy brand of silence that implied he was trying to sort out how he should begin.

' _Use your right words…'_ I thought to myself as I waited.

I couldn't stop thinking about what Karen had said and how it had set me off so badly. If she had left out my mother and all that talk about marriage than I could have handled the lecture better than I did. I would have just sat there listening to her say the same old things I'd been hearing all my life. But now that I was older and out of the house it was as though Karen believed she had some kind of right to openly badmouth my mother. And, if that weren't enough, she somehow also felt entitled to make assumptions about my love-life. I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from openly scoffing.

I had tried to explain it to my father and Karen before. I tried to take them through what I meant when I said that I just wasn't interested in people. But they didn't get it. My father would just reassure me that I was merely a late-bloomer. That one day I'd see the point of dating. Karen blamed my disinterest on the fact that I never tried. She was convinced that if I just 'put myself out there and gave it a real shot' things would click into place. She sounded like my high school science teacher. My issues with chemistry were akin to… well, my issues with chemistry.

Weather it was understanding the periodic table of elements or the boys in my gym class, the adults in my life seemed convinced that 'just trying harder' would solve all my issues. The facts simply were that no matter what I did, in either science class or within my social life, I just didn't get it. And things hadn't changed. At twenty-two I was just as baffled as I had been at seventeen. The unfortunate part was that I didn't have a word for what I felt. I didn't know how to put it into easily understandable terms. I just… wasn't interested. Boys, girls, whatever. They just didn't appeal to me in the same way they seemed to appeal to everyone else. I suppose I just couldn't see what they saw.

Sitting in the car next to my father was not the ideal time to once again pry open the Pandora's Box that was my sexuality so I shoved those thoughts aside. Besides, we were nearly at my apartment. And apparently my father had finally decided on how he was going to go about what he wanted to say to me.

"I know that you and Karen don't get along." He started, "You never really have, to be quite honest. I've always hoped that you two would get past your differences one day. And I'm not abandoning that hope. We just need to keep working on it. You were thirteen when your Mother left. And that's a tricky age in any young woman's life let-alone with the addition of that turmoil on top of things. I think, even now, you're struggling with some of those feelings. Let's try to figure out why that is."

"Please don't treat me like I'm one of your patient's, Dad." I had to fight to keep my voice under control, "I am trying with her. Really, I am. She just… has a way of getting under my skin. Especially when she starts in on Mom the way she does."

He paused for a moment then said, "I know. It's not fair. I'll talk to her about it. And I'll try not to talk to you like your sitting across from me in my office."

"Thanks, Dad." I smiled.

He pulled the car up in front of my building, "It isn't easy on any of us with you and Karen at odds all the time. I'll do whatever I can to help make things right. I really hope something will work out."

"Me too." I agreed, a little surprised to find that I meant it.

I could see the strain my ongoing feud with Karen put on him. He was caught between his daughter and his wife, after all. I could be sympathetic to that. And it couldn't be easy for Toby to watch his sister and mother constantly fight. When I moved out, I imagined that things would magically become easier. Maybe it was time to actually do something about the problem, instead. No one was going to change the stars for me anymore. That was something I would have to do for myself.

"Thanks for dinner, Dad." I said, leaning over to give him a tight hug.

"Same time next week?" He asked as I let go and opened up the car door.

I nodded as I got out, "Definitely."

"Have a good night, Sarah." My father said.

"You too." I waved before shutting the door and heading to the lobby entrance.

My father watched me until I got inside. Then he flashed his lights and drove off, just like he always did. It was kind of a tradition that started back when I was little. And it was something I appreciated. He could be rather unobservant at times. But he did care. As I took the stairs two at a time up to my floor I thought over what he had said in the car. I would just have to try even harder to make things work with Karen.

Turning my key in the lock of the front door I was greeted by the familiar click of the latch. It was a comforting sound. My apartment was small but it suited me just fine. For as long as I could remember I had always adored old buildings. I loved that almost book-like smell they always seemed to have. And it was the scent that my apartment always greeted me with when I got home. The one bedroom flat was everything I could have wanted out of my first place. I kicked the door closed behind me and abandoned my box full of stuff next to the front closet. It could be gone through later.

It wasn't really all that late, just coming up on ten, and I had some reading for one of my English classes to catch up on. Just because it was my minor didn't mean I should just ignore it in favor of my Drama assignments. Besides, Shakespeare was the best of both worlds. And it wasn't like I didn't have the time. As I came into my room I flipped on the lights and tossed my backpack onto my bed. I couldn't help but stop in front of my old vanity. I twisted the ring that sat around my right middle finger while I studied my reflection in the mirror.

Exactly one year to the day of my defeat of the Labyrinth I came home late from drama practice at school and Karen had had a fit over it. I'd rushed up to my room in a mess of tears, probably shouting that I hated her. At sixteen I still didn't have much of a handle on controlling my outbursts. I'd slammed my door and slumped down in the chair at the vanity while absolutely sobbing. And there it was. Sitting square in the center of the table was the ring I had dropped into the Wiseman's contribution box. I always suspected that Hoggle had managed to track it down for me, even though he denied it when I'd asked him about it that same night. The old softy probably just didn't want to admit that he'd wanted to do something special for the anniversary of our victory.

I couldn't help but wonder, as I stared at my reflection, how all my friends in the Underground were. I hadn't spoken to them in months. As time had gone on in my life, I found that I needed them less and less. Our meetings had become few and far between without me ever meaning for them to. I suspected it was just one of those things that happened when you weren't paying attention… growing older and growing apart.

Forcing myself to look away from the mirror I flopped down on my bed and picked up the book I had discarded there earlier that afternoon. _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ was something I had seen staged once as a kid and had read a few times since then. I liked it. I suppose having personal experience with troublesome Fae made me sympathetic. While I read I couldn't help but imagine what my own version of the play would look like. Shades of green and gold, a stage with multiple levels and low lighting were all things that would be on the top of my list were I in charge of such a production.

"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,

Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,

With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine."

I spoke the words out loud. Then, closing my eyes, I hugged the open paperback to my chest. Images of such a place wafted through my mind. I could almost see the hazy golden sunlight streaming in through the tree branches and feel the pleasant summer's breeze as it carried the scent of violets and wild flowers through the air. I suppose I must have fallen asleep as I imagined the peaceful riverbank from the play. And I dreamt myself somewhere very much like it.

I was laying amongst wildflowers in a glimmering forest. The soft, late afternoon light cast the world in shades of warm gold that caught the gossamer of insect wings as they drifted through the air around me. Everything was painted in the lush green shades of full summer. As I reclined amongst the tall grass and blossoms I could hear a familiar melody. The recognition of the song was more of a feeling than a conscious thought. It seemed to filled me up inside. I had heard it somewhere long ago. How could I have forgotten something so beautiful? How could I have possibly forgotten something that was… for me?

" _Sarah."_

A gentle voice called out to me, mixing with the melody. It came from within me just as much as it came from somewhere in the surrounding glen. Like the song, I felt I knew it. I'd always known it. It belonged to someone who had been with me for the entirety of my life. I knew him. I knew the _way_ he said my name. His deep, honey sweet, tone pronounced the sounds of it in a way no one else did.

" _Sarah?"_

He was looking for me. I knew he was. And I wasn't afraid. I had been. Before. But not now. I rose to my feet slowly. The fabric of my golden dress, weightless as spider silk, shimmered as it flowed with my motion. I had to find him. But how? Where was he? Suddenly the world around me began to tumble away. As it faded from existence a kind of panic filled my chest. I had to find him. He needed me. I had to…

" _Sarah."_

My eyes opened. I was back in my own room, sprawled out across my bed. My copy of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ still sat open against my chest. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up slowly, setting the book to one side. How long had I been out? I looked at the clock on my bedside. It was midnight. And I had that eerie feeling in the pit of my stomach that somehow I wasn't alone. Glancing around the room my attention fell back onto the vanity mirror. I nearly screamed. My hands flew over my mouth to stifle the sound as I stared, wide eyed, into the smooth glass. Through its reflection I could see my old friend Sir Didymus standing on my bed next to me This was how the mirror had always worked. Even though he wasn't really in the room, through the mirror it looked like he was.

"Didymus! You scared me nearly senseless!" I told him through my fingers.

"The deepest of apologies, Milady." He swept his hat from his head and bowed deeply as he spoke, "I did not intend to startle thee. I come to beg a most important request."

"A request?" I stood up and crossed to the mirror, "What kind of request? How's the Underground? How are Hoggle and Ludo?"

I was so thrilled to see him that I thought I might burst into tears. I hadn't realized just how badly I'd missed my friends. Sitting down at the table I studied Sir Didymus. He seemed to be studying me as well. His good eye, deep brown in colour, searched my face while the other remained hidden under his trademark eyepatch. The thick whiskers of his fox-ish face formed white eyebrows that drew together and a mustache that twitched with concern. They were a delightful contrast against the rest of his cinnamon coloured fur. And as always he was dressed in regal Tudor fashion.

"Are you quite well, Milady?" He asked, angling his head to one side.

"Of course I am." I smiled at him, "I've missed you. It's such a surprise that you're here."

"It is my regret that I do not come with better tidings." He squeaked, shaking his head sadly, "Things are in a poor way, Milady."

My heart sank in my chest, "What's happened? Didymus, what's wrong?"

"Details of exact events have yet to be uncovered." He wrung his hands anxiously, "But it is of the believe, Milady, that something horrible must have transpired up at the Castle."

"The Castle…" My mouth went dry as the words left my lips.

"Indeed, Milady." He nodded, "Things are not as they once were. Why, the very landscape reflects the turmoil we're in. Ways that were once clear are now impassable. Things that once were are no longer. The world crumbles around our very ankles. My request, Milady, is that you return and once again act as our Champion."

"What!?" My stomach felt like it was trying to crawl into my throat.

"Thou succeeded in taking the Castle once." Didymus explained, "Surely such a feat would not be impossible for thee to complete a second time."

"But…" I started.

"No one but thou canst do this, Milady." He said plainly.

The last thing I wanted was to return to that nightmare realm. The Oubliette, the Helping Hands, the Sweepers, the Bog of Eternal Stench, the Junk Yard… The Castle. Those were the places that had haunted me in both my dreams and waking life for the past seven years. And now I was being asked to go back.

"Please, Milady." He concluded, "I would not ask this of thee were I not certain that it were our only choice. We needst thee."

As I looked at Sir Didymus something inside me gave way. The desperation in his voice stopped me from protesting any further. All throughout my life, every now and again, I had needed them. And now it was my turn to be needed. The fear creeping up my back and twisting around my stomach subsided a little. I took a deep breath. My muscles relaxed as a strange calm washed over me. I had been a child the last time. And now I knew what to expect of that place. If I was going to go back, I was going to go back fully prepared. My friends needed me.

"I'll do it." I told him.

I got to my feet and snatched my backpack off the bed. I dumped what I knew I wouldn't need. Textbooks and assignment sheets spread themselves over my bedding as I reorganized the pack. Didymus chattered excitedly, thanking me and reaffirming his faith in me, as I shoved things into the bag. Extra clothes, flashlight, duct tape. Whatever I had on hand that I thought might be useful went in. When the backpack was crammed full I pulled it on over my shoulders and turned back to the mirror.

"How do I get back?" I asked my friend.

Didymus drew his brows together, "Oh… well… Certainly thou must return by the same path thou camest before, Milady."

He seemed self-satisfied with his answer, puffing himself up proudly.

Then he angled his head to one side again and asked, "By… what way did thou cometh by before?"

How _had_ I done it the first time? One moment I was at home and the next I wasn't. _He_ had taken me there. So how was I supposed to get back without _him_? How was I…? The answer seemed to unfolded itself simply as I contemplated it.

"I have to make a wish." I said slowly.

It was the only explanation. I hadn't made a single one since I'd wished Toby away. Not even on birthday candles and definitely not on stars. I understood the power those words held, now. My life had rotated around carefully avoiding them. At least until this moment. I took another deep breath and closed my eyes. Now… how did that go again?

"I wish to return to the Labyrinth." The words flowed from my lips effortlessly, "Right now."

A breeze filled with the scent of electricity, wild flowers and honey washed over me, brushing my hair back from my face. I opened my eyes. The glass in my mirror seemed to flow about in its frame like molten silver. In the distorted surface I no longer saw myself. I seemed to be looking out at a forest. Sir Didymus stood there, small, amongst the tall grass and trees. I knew what I had to do. Without pausing to second guess myself, I plunged through the viscous surface of the mirror. The world broke away into shards of dazzling light and colour. I was falling through the gap between worlds. Then, almost as soon as it had begun, it ended.

And I was back.


	3. Part 3

***I realized that in the last part I hadn't gotten Didymus' speech pattern quite right so I've gone back and fixed that. I hope you enjoy this next portion of the story. Thanks for reading.***

The the overcast, early morning, sky washed the surrounding landscape into a sharp semi-muted colour pallet. What I had perceived as a forest through the distorted glass of my mirror turned out to be little more than a wooded glade. The crop of slender birch trees stood clustered together overlooking a sudden drop into a valley. Stepping out near the edge, I realized where I was. Not twenty steps along the ridge was the place I had stood with _him_ the first time I'd come to the Underground. The windswept ridge, the rocky slope into the valley, the sparse crops of trees and dried tall grass. Everything was just as it had been. The landscape looked as though it were in the midst of spring rather than the sparse autumn scene I remembered from my first visit.

I looked down the length of the valley slope. Sure enough I could see the distant Labyrinth and the solid mass of wall that surrounded its borders. It crept out over the land much the way lichen coated rocks or trees. Had it always been that vast? I remembered how I had haughtily stated that it didn't look 'that far' the first time I saw it. Now that I was looking down at its imposing form again I was doubting myself. The Castle _was_ far away. And it was surrounded on all sides by that sprawling, ever changing, Hellscape of a maze.

"How come you called to my through my mirror from here?" I asked Sir Didymus, confused, "Wouldn't it be easier to have called to me from somewhere in the Labyrinth? Maybe somewhere… closer to the Castle?"

He looked at me like I was speaking nonsense, "And alert any possible foes to Milady's arrival? Never!"

I wasn't sure I understood what he meant by that exactly. There wasn't time to ask for a clarification, however.

"We mustn't tarry here any longer, Milady." Sir Didymus continued, squeaking enthusiastically, "Time is of the essence! We must hurry."

"Right." I said despite the gnawing uneasiness in the pit of my stomach.

Didymus scampered down the rocky cliffside and I followed after him, silently cursing myself for wearing brown oxfords instead of hiking boots. As we descended into the valley I couldn't see much of a change in the over all appearance of the Labyrinth. The way Didymus had described it made me believe that there would be little more than a desolate ruin left. From what I could see everything looked just fine.

' _Things are not always as they seem in this place.'_ I reminded myself as we neared the bottom of the ridge.

"Ambrosius!" Didymus shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ambrosius! Where are you? I demand you come here at once! Ambrosius!"

Sir Didymus' faithful sheepdog, Ambrosius, came shuffling out from behind a particularly large rock. I couldn't stop myself from smiling. He looked so much like Merlin, my own dog, had when he was young that I simply couldn't help it. I had to blink back the tears that stung my eyes as I watched Didymus leap up into Ambrosius' saddle. Here time didn't have the same effect on dogs that it did back home, apparently. I was glad of that. Unlike Ambrosius, Merlin was old and prefered to spend his days sprawled out on the kitchen floor in front of the radiator. If not for the rules of my apartment building, I would have taken Merlin with me when I left home.

"Now then!" Didymus declared gallantly, "Shall we continue on, Milady?"

"Yes." I nodded, bringing myself back to center, "Lets."

Together we walked along the great perimeter wall. The square pool where I had first met Hoggle now sat empty and abandoned just before us. For the second time I wondered where Hoggle was and hoped that he was alright. Evidently he had not been keeping up his Faery exterminator duties. There was a seemingly massive increase in their activity all along the outside of the wall. Their iridescent little forms fluttered about everywhere in small swarms as they chimed to one another in their bell-like language. The Faeries ignored us as we wandered past them. But I could feel them watching us. I tried not to think about it too much. Instead, I turned my attention to the odd scent of electricity and violets that hung heavily in the air. It was stronger by the wall than it had been up on the ridge.

"Didymus?"

"Yes, Milady?" He looked up at me expectantly from his saddle.

"What's that smell?" I asked, looking around for the source, "I don't remember it smelling like that last time."

"Smell?" He sniffed at the air dramatically, "What smell? Milady, the air is as fresh as any fine spring day might be. I smell nothing unusual."

Ah, yes. How could I have forgotten? Sir Didymus didn't actually have a sense of smell despite his swearing by it. For fear of embarrassing him, or myself, I didn't press the matter any further. I would just have to ask someone else about it. In any case, I was sure it didn't really matter all that much. I was simply curious. It was just so pungent and odd that it must have been coming from somewhere nearby.

"Now… where's that door?" I murmured to myself.

The answer was that it was sitting, nearly torn from its hinges, just around the next bend of the wall. Glimmering ivy vines twisted themselves over the door's shape in a thick growth. I had to step gingerly over their sprawling shoots in order to pass into the first part of the Labyrinth. Didymus and Ambrosius followed behind me, suddenly quiet. A heavy hush seemed to grip the long passageway that made up this portion of the maze. I was almost afraid to breathe, as I examined the lush plant life that now encased the grey stonework, should the noise of it be too much and cause the place to collapse.

I motioned for Didymus and Ambrosius to follow me down the long, narrow, passageway. This part I remembered all too well. The Brick Corridors. How long had I run down it's never ending stretch before finally coming to a gap? I couldn't remember. What I did remember was that this portion of the Labyrinth was meant to discourage you. It was designed to make you give up before you'd even started. And it did a damn fine job my first time through. I'd very nearly walked away from the whole thing. But this time I knew the trick. Despite the thick growth of twisted vines and greenery coating the slick walls, I ran my hand along the length of brickwork as we walked down the Corridor. If there was an opening, I was going to find it. My fingers and palm brushed along the plants and cold stone as we moved further and further down the stretch of wall.

We must have walked nearly fifty paces when the heavy silence of the place was broken by a low, moaning creak. I stopped short in my tracks and looked down at Didymus. Before I could even open my mouth to ask what the sound might have been it came again. Louder. And then again. Longer. Closer this time. I looked back over my shoulder as fear bubbled its way into my chest. The vines were tearing themselves from the wall in the place where we'd first began. All along the passage, on both sides, the plants were lunging out from the stone bricks. One after another, down the line of the passage they went, grabbing for anything they might be able to get ahold of. In only a moment the wave of evidently sentient vines would be upon us.

"Run!" I shrieked.

I had to force myself to follow my own command. It felt as though my feet were cemented to the stone below them. Didymus kicked Ambrosius into a run. I made myself follow after them despite my terror. Together, my friends and I flew down the center of the passage as fast as our legs would carry us. I kept my elbows tight to my body as I fought to keep up to Ambrosius' lightning fast pace. I didn't want to think about the possible breaks in the wall we might have been passing as we ran for dear life. From the lashing, groaning, sounds the wave must have been right on our heels. I forced my legs to keep pumping despite the burn flaring in my thighs. I didn't want to think about what might happen should the vines succeed in reaching us.

Just as I thought my lungs might explode in my chest Ambrosius darted to the left, seeming to disappear right through the stones, while Didymus shouted about going back to face the vines like a true warrior. I practically threw myself after them. The break in the wall was virtually invisible. I knew that I wouldn't have seen it had Ambrosius not vanished through it before my eyes. But the gap was real enough and I went crashing through it without any sense of grace or agility. Laying on my back against the cold rocky ground, I sucked back air in huge gulps. My throat burned just as much as my thighs. And my hands shook. But we had made it and that was all that mattered.

"Damn... I'm out of shape…." I panted, closing my eyes as I concentrated on my racing heartbeat.

I clenched my hands into fists and pressed them against my sides in an attempt to keep them from shaking. Behind me I could hear the thrashing, moaning, sounds as the vines continued to snatch and grab their way down the passage. On our side of the wall, however, the plants clung dormant to the slick stone walls. I pushed myself up slowly and studied the greenery, trying to distract myself from the sting of tears in my eyes and the thrill of terror still coursing through my body. By all logical reasoning, these vines should have been coming after us too. But they weren't. Their growth was just as dense and menacing as the others. And they seemed to me to be of the same variety. Perhaps we had done something to wake the others? I thought about my actions in the passage before the plants had attacked.

"Don't touch the vines." I told Didymus.

"Is that perchance the reason for their siege upon us, Milady?" He tilted his head to one side as he asked.

"I think so." I got to my feet slowly, making sure of my distance from the walls.

"Then let us continue with the utmost caution!" He declared cheerfully.

I nodded and took a deep breath to try and settle myself. Didymus was right. Caution was good advice in this place. I shoved my still trembling hands into my jean pockets and I followed my friends down the next line of passageway. Ambrosius seemed to know where he was going and I found that I was content to trust his sense of direction. He lead us through the plant infested passageways with incredible ease. Nose to the ground he was able to find the openings in the walls without so much as a hair of trouble. And, like I suspected, so long as the vines weren't disturbed they didn't disturb us.

After a while we made it out of the Brick Corridor and into the next portion of the Labyrinth. Twisted, gnarled trees and rough undergrowth sprawled out before us. This was different. It almost reminded me of the Fiery Forest. Though, it was far darker and overgrown than that. Everything seemed to shimmer as the late morning sun filtered in through the thickly woven branches overhead. I yawned as we ambled over roots and under branches. Here it didn't seem to matter if we touched the plants or not. Ambrosius snuffled along in front of me, nose to the dirt, instinctively seeming to know which way we were meant to go. Now that we were out of immediate danger it appeared that Didymus couldn't help but burst into a steady flow of optimistic chatter. I couldn't help but admire him for it. And I took comfort in his presence at my side as I focused on his words rather than the horror we had just survived.

My companion rambled enthusiastically about my 'quick thinking' and 'clever reasoning' back in the Brick Corridor. Despite my best effort, he would hear nothing of it being just a lucky guess. That's what it was, after all. Just a lucky guess. A shot in the dark. Didymus probably would have figured it out on his own. And if he didn't, it seemed that Ambrosius had understood the situation from the beginning. To speak truth, he was the real hero here. Not me. I'd only followed his lead. How had I done this alone all those years ago? I'd been little more than a child and yet I Championed the place. Now I was struggling just to keep up. Not to mention keeping my wits about me.

"No! Ambrosius! No, I say!" Sir Didymus' exclaimed sharply, cutting off his own chatter, "Where are you going? The Castle is _that_ way!"

Didymus indicated a path to our right as his steed took him in the opposite direction. I stifled a laugh and followed the dog. He lead us along a twisting path that climb down a steep hillside. The grass reached up to my waist on either side of the dirt trail and brushed my arms as we sliced through it. Didymus brandished his sword before him in flamboyant movements that hardly moved the tall stalks let alone cleared them. He swore elaborate oths that mainly consisted of him promising to do everything in his power to trim the grass to a reasonable height. But they sounded like steadfast challenges to duels he had every intention of fighting.

"By my life's blood, I shall see you all cut down to size!" He yipped excitedly, "Mark my words, foul flora! Ye shall feel the steal of my blade swiftly and deftly so that every traveler may pass with ease!"

The trees of the forest were thick here. They blocked our view of whatever might be below us as we continued to wander down the steep sloping hillside. As we went on it got darker and colder. The branches above blocked out any possible sunlight almost completely. The forest seemed to be painted in shades of blue and grey now, yet every surface we passed still glimmered unexplainably. That strange smell of violets and electricity filled the air again. And there were more Faeries. Their little bodies cast soft silvery light as they flew amongst the heavy branches over our heads. I watched them as we continued down the path. These ones didn't seem overly interested in us either. As the trees finally began to thin, the Faeries became more and more scarce until there were none at all. Even still, I couldn't help but feel as though they were still somehow watching us.

The treeline finally broke and we were bathed in warm sunlight again. The landscape stretched out before us in the form of a small field. On the other side of it there seemed to be some sort of structure collection just beyond a stone archway. Ambrosios scampered towards it happily and I followed. The wind caused the tall grass around us to ripple as we waded through it. The breeze was refreshing and Didymus began to monologe confidently again. Together, these two things and the bright midday sunshine had me feeling more like myself again. And more confident than I had when we began our journey.

Beyond the stone archway was little more than an overgrown collection of ruins. What once may have been walls lay in crumbling heaps buried under even more lush plantlife. As we slowly wandered through the rubble and greenery I couldn't help but feel as though I knew this place. We climbed a short set of steps only to find more crumbling brickwork at the top. I could see all the way across the sort of courtyard-like area we were in now. One could almost walk directly across the entire stretch of it without ever needing to move around something. Whole sections of the pathway had been torn up, however. And tunnels similar to rabbit holes riddled the patches of bare dirt. I didn't fancy the notion of stepping into one.

We slowly meandered through the open space, weary of the holes and cautious of the crumbling walls. I came to a stop in front of a mound of discarded stone. It looked to me as though someone had, at one point, been trying to gather the debris in one place. But they must have given up when they realized just how difficult the task would be. I would have disregarded the mound had something not caught my eye. Crouching down to examine it more carefully, my fingers brushed the smooth surface of the stone tile as I cleared away the dust and dirt. A heavily smudged red arrow sat across the center of the broken slab.

' _The lipstick Mom gave me for my fifteenth birthday.'_ I thought.

I had been here. We were in the Brick Maze. I remembered trying to keep track of the way I was going by drawing on the stone tiles with my lipstick. But the Brownies kept flipping them over and changing them round. I was amazed that this one had survived after so long. This was also where I had answered the riddle given to me by the Four Guards. What had I named them? Alph and Ralph, Jim and Tim? Those seemed like the silly sort of names I would have assigned them in order to keep them straight in my head. I never learned what their real names were. I wondered where they were now that this portion of the Labyrinth was in ruin.

"Come along, Milady!" Didymus called over his shoulder, "We mustn't dally!"

Just as I began to get to my feet the ground underneath them shook with a great thunderous roar. The earthquake knocked me back onto my bottom as the ruined walls crumbled around me. The stone tiles of the remaining pathway split apart and shattered with the motion of the ground. A sound like a distant scream seemed to be carried with the roar of the quake. A low cry of unimaginable suffering. It shot through my heart like an arrow as I clung to the violently trembling ground. Just when I thought my insides might be reduced to mush from the force of it all, the earthquake shook itself out. And the world was left still again.

"Milady!" Sir Didymus cried, concern drowning his tone and features as Ambrosius carried him to me, "Art thou injured? Didst thou come to some harm in the quake?"

He fussed over me as I pushed myself into a sitting position, "No, no. I'm alright. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

"Art thou certain?" He went on, "By my honor, if thou camest to some harm while under my care I should never forgive myself. Never!"

"I'm fine." I smiled, "I promise. Let's get out of here, okay?"

"At once, Milady!" He puffed himself up a little in his saddle, "Ambrosius! Onward!"


	4. Part 4

The ruins of the Brick Maze stretched out for what felt like ages. Sir Didymus, Ambrosius and I continued our march steadily through the rubble and overgrown flora. A kind of after shock of the first earthquake hit us as we went along. The earth trembled under our feet. It wasn't nearly as strong or destructive this time, though, and we managed to keep our footing as it played itself out. I listened hard for the distant sort of scream I'd heard before. But it wasn't there.

"Has that been happening a lot?" I asked Didymus as the earth calmed itself.

"Aye, Milady." He replied with nod, "The tremors have been a daily occurrence as of late. Sometimes mild and few, sometimes harsh and plenty. But not a day goes past that isn't fraught with them."

"You weren't kidding when you said this place was in trouble." I commented half to myself.

It looked as though Didymus was about to plunge into another of his dramatic monologues but whatever he might have said was lost when Ambrosius let out a sharp bark. I jumped at the sudden sound. Evidently my nerves were still on edge. Ambrosius barked again and darted off down a particularly plant covered sidepath. Didymus tutted and sputtered like a fussy tea kettle as the dog carried him in what he adamantly protested to be 'the wrong way.' I wasn't so sure, however. So far Ambrosius seemed to have a keen knowledge of where we were meant to go. I knew better than to assume that he would lead us straight to the Castle. That would be taking him for granted. But I did trust his instinct whole heartedly.

I followed them down the narrow path, dodging brambles and ducking under spindly branches that grabbed at my hair and clothes. Ahead of me I heard Ambrosius bark again. I pushed through the last of the foliage to find him standing proudly in front of a single stone turret. The scent of wild violets and electricity flooded the clearing. And there was an almost palpable tingle of energy in the air that made the hair on my arms rise. Ambrosius wagged his tail excitedly as I came towards the foot of the looming structure. It must have been at least two stories tall and was made from sand coloured stones. There was a single arched window that stood directly above the wooden door at its base. Ambrosius barked again and turned circles in front of the door.

"Ambrosius! Settle down at once, or so help me!" Sir Didymus demanded, "Why ever would you bring us here? You know perfectly well that no one lives here anymore!"

"Didymus, what is this place?" I asked as I admired the structure.

Wherever we were, I had an overwhelmingly good feeling about it.

"Milady, this is my old Master's Keep." He explained as he dismounted from his tiny saddle, "But she has not lived here for several ages. Ambrosius, you walking carpet, what purpose could you have for bringing us here?!"

"Are you calling my dog names, Sir Didymus?" Came a smooth voice from behind us.

I turned with a start and an involuntary gasp. An older woman, perhaps in her late fifties, was smiling at us. Her short, tightly curled, dark hair was only just starting to turn silver at her temples. A lovely contrast next to her deep brown skin. She was about my height and visibly strong through her arms and legs. She was like a Knight from a Faerytale. Everything about her spoke to someone who had seen proper battle. Her posture and stance, the scars on her hands, even the way she dressed. Like Didymus, her fashion sense seemed to be straight out of the Elizabethan era. She wore a tight grey top, it's sleeves rolled up past her elbows, under a dark blue and gold doublet. Her black boots came up over her knees and hid most of her gold coloured breeches. And there was a sword at her belt. She could have been the dashing lead in a Shakespeare production. Despite her intimidating appearance her amber coloured eyes were full of humor as they examined us. And she was smiling.

"Lady Viola!" Didymus pulled his cap from his head in a sweeping bow that very nearly brought his nose to the ground.

"Greetings my old friend." She returned his bow, "I see you travel alongside a fine young Lady. How pleased I am to finally make an acquaintance of you, Miss Sarah. I have long looked forward to this day."

"You… you knew I would come back?" I stuttered in confusion.

"Heavens, no, child." She laughed, a sound like summer, "But I suspected you would return to this realm one day. And lo! The Champion hath returned, indeed. I must be allowed to play at being your host. Please, do come in."

In a kind of charming whirlwind Lady Viola ushered us inside the Keep while she insisted on making tea for us all. And before I had time to register what was happening, she had done just that. I sat at her table in a kind of amazed shock as she filled the fine china cup before me with tea from a matching pot and inquired after my preference in biscuits. Didymus sat next to my elbow contently munching away on a jammy dodger. And Ambrosius was somewhere under Lady Viola's side of the table, lapping away at tea and honey she'd poured into a saucer. I didn't have a favorite biscuit and I politely told her as such while looking around the interior of her home.

The Keep was, like I'd guessed from outside, comprised of two stories. The ground level seemed to be where Lady Viola lived. It had all the makings of a lovely one room home. And it smelt strongly of that violet and electric perfume that seemed to be everywhere we went. We looked to be stationed right in the center of her kitchen, which clung mostly to the far side of the Keep in the form of fine cabinetry and spotless surfaces. The round wooden table we sat around was more or less in the heart of that section. A good portion of the left hand section of the first floor was cut off from view by gorgeous brocade curtains of red and blue. I suspected that the makeshift wall hid her bedroom on their opposite side. To the right sat a flight of steps that followed the internal curve of the Keep's wall. The stairs also seemed to function as her bookcase.

" 'Ello, again." A familiar, high pitched, voice said cheerfully.

I looked down. There, next to the scones, was the little Worm I had met in the Brick Corridor during my first run of the Labyrinth. He smiled up at me, the red scarf around his neck matching his bright eyes almost perfectly in colour. The fine tufts of hair on his head bobbed this way and that as he nodded up at me. Beside him sat another worm. This one wore a bright red cap on its head and was a sort of sky blue in colouring rather than the deeper sapphire blue of my friend at its side. I wondered if this new worm could be the infamous Missus I was once invited to meet.

"Hello!" I beamed.

" 'Ello." He said again, "Fancy seeing you here. Missus, this is that girl I told you about."

The sky blue worm nodded to me and said in an equally high voice, " 'Ello. Nice t' make yer acquaintance."

"Likewise." I smiled, "Whatever are you two doing here?"

"Needed a place t' stay when them plants showed up, didn't we, Missus?" The Worm asked his wife.

"I'd say, Love." She agreed, "Made a mess of the neighborhood, they did. Good ol' Vi came through fer us, though, didn't she? Always a good 'un, my friend Vi."

"That she is, Missus." Worm smiled again, "Kind of her t' let us stay while that mess is sorted."

"I could not think to leave my dear friends in such peril." Lady Viola chimed in as she scooched the biscuit tray towards me again, "How lovely that all at my table are thusly acquainted."

It was lovely. We chatted pleasantly together for quite some time, munching on biscuits from the tray that seemed to never go empty and drinking tea from the pot that seemed to never run dry. The conversation was easy. I listened more than I spoke. Which was just as well considering Lady Viola's vigor for storytelling. She recounted her rescue of the Worms in deep detail. She had fended off the plants of the Brick Corridor several days ago in order to complete the task, cutting them down with her sword. When Didymus explained how the dastardly flora was just as lush as ever there was concern in Lady Viola's eyes. But she smiled broadly and laughed and joked about going to 'prune the hedges' again soon. Then the two Knights fell into the tale of Didymus' apprenticeship with her. They tag-teamed it's telling.

According to my host and my friend, Sir Didymus had come to her as a young lad full of ambition and enthusiasm. Lady Viola, who was already a well known Knight at that time, accepted him as her Squire. Together they spoke of the many adventures they had together which were all fraught with danger. They fought in battles, saved damsels and quested with one another for many years. After saving Lady Viola's life Didymus graduated from his position as her Squire. She Knighted him right there in the Ogre infested cave, using the tooth he'd pulled from her side to dub him as Sir Didymus a Knight of the Underground. The two only separated when Lady Viola was called away to fight in a war. She explained that, though he'd protested most valiantly, she could not in good conscience allow her dearest friend to follow her. Lady Viola tasked Sir Didymus with safeguarding the foot bridge between the Bog of Eternal Stench and the Enchanted Forest while she was gone. And there he stayed until I met him.

I fell asleep in Lady Viola's large armchair as visions of Knights and Ogres filled my mind. I hadn't realized I was so tired. But I supposed there must have been a rather significant time change between the Underground and back home. After all, it had been midnight when Didymus fetched me through my mirror. And it was just past sunrise here when I arrived. I don't know how long I slept. I drifted in and out of strange dreams.

One moment I was climbing up a never ending spiral staircase, trying to find something or someone. The next I was wandering along the bank of a crystal blue river in a long gown with the sense that I'd been there before. And still I felt as though I was looking for someone who should have been there with me. Then I'd be back in the Brick Corridor, running it's endless length as the sound of my armour rattled against itself. I could hear the Sweepers coming up behind me. They were getting close. I had to get away. I had to find… I had…

I woke to someone gently shaking my elbow.

"Milady, awaken." Lady Viola told me gently, "You must rise and come with me."

"What?" I looked around groggily, "Where?"

The Keep was dark and the rest of Lady Viola's guests were snoring gently around the room. She was crouched at my side, her strong hand on my arm. It took me a moment to remember where I was and who she was and what I was doing in her house. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes with the heels of my hands as the events of the previous day came back to me.

"Milady," She said in a hushed voice, "I would ask that you follow me. I dare not waken the others and have them privy to our council."

"Alright." I nodded.

Lady Viola lead me up the spiral staircase that followed the curve of the Keep. I had to avoid the books stacked and littered across the steps as I followed. At the top of the stairs was another room that looked to be like an office of sorts. I had never seen one like it outside the pages of a book before. The desk that sat looking out the single window was littered in old maps and scrolls. Through the glass of the window I could see that it was already some time into the night. Swords as well as other examples of ancient weaponry hung carefully from the walls in a grand display illuminated by candles. To one side of the room was a large wardrobe. Across from it a suit of magnificent golden armour patterned to look like leaves stood proudly on a mannequin against the wall. The candle light made the surface of its metal shine. And in the center of the room was a long, low, table. I stood in silence at the top of the stairs as I took it all in. This was unmistakably the office of a Knight.

"Milady, when I said that I had long awaited the chance to meet with you, I spoke in earnest." Lady Viola said as she crossed to the large wardrobe, "I was not present in this realm at the time of your first coming. But I have heard a many great thing about you, Miss Sarah. And you live up to the name you left in this place rather magnificently."

"I do?" I asked, surprised, "But I haven't even really done anything yet. Ambrosius has done most of the work so far."

"He is a most loyal creature. He led you to me post haste without delay." She smiled at this, "Just as I requested. I simply had to meet the girl who ran the Labyrinth and thwarted the King. You may not have done much yet, child, but you will. And for that you have need of what I offer you. This is not a gift, mind. Thus you needn't worry after my collecting a debt. What I am offering belongs to you. You need only choose if you want it."

"A debt…" I repeated the odd portion of her explanation half to myself as I began to understand what she was saying, "You're Fae?"

She smiled broadly at me, "That I am. You are a rather clever girl, mortal child. Does that change your opinion of me?"

"No." I shook my head, "But I think I understand you a little better now."

I knew my lore. The study of Faeries had been something I'd spent most of my early childhood absolutely enthralled in. My first encounter with a Faery during my run of the Labyrinth taught me a solid lesson in the form of a sharp bite, though. I hadn't known even half of what I thought I did. Upon my return home I went about setting the record straight. I studied the real lore. I ignored the sugar coated versions most people accepted as truth. I learned the rules. And I began to have my suspicions about some of the encounters I'd had while visiting the Underground as a fifteen-year-old uneducated in the ways of the Fae.

Lady Viola chuckled, a sound like early spring rain, "So, Miss Sarah, do you want what rightfully belongs to you?"

"I suppose that depends a great deal on what it is." I replied.

She nodded, joy in her eyes, and turned to the wardrobe. Without another word she opened its double doors. I couldn't see past her strong figure as she reached into the darkened interior but I heard the sound of clinking metal as she took out an armload of items. She laid them out on the low table in the center of the room. I watched her slow, deliberate, movements as each piece was set out. A gold coloured gambeson with above-elbow sleeves. A chain shirt that glimmered silver. A chest piece with sprawling floral designs etched into its surface. A gorget and matching pauldrons. Shin greaves. And a straight bladed cutlass with an ornamental knuckle-guard of twisted silver leaves. It was all beautiful.

"The Champion's armour." Lady Viola explained after the long moment she allotted in order for me to take it all in, " _Your_ armour, Miss Sarah. The story of your victory has traveled far beyond the borders of this realm. It reached me while I was in Places Elsewhere. And so I had this set crafted for you and kept it safe in my keeping until such a time as it could be given to you. I believe you have need of them now."

My fingertips brushed over the cold surface of the chest piece, "Didymus said there was something was wrong up at the Castle. He didn't know what, exactly. I guessed it had to do with… That something has happened to…"

"You guess correctly." She didn't need to hear it in order to know what I meant, "He is in peril, Miss Sarah. To call our politics complicated is an unimaginable understatement. The Fae Courts are more intricate than most mortals can imagine. And more vicious. His Majesty, while King of this realm, does answer to his Mother who is Queen of the Winter Court. She is…"

Lady Viola paused for a moment, considering what phrase to use. I found myself pondering what she was telling me. If _his_ mother was the head of the Winter Court that meant she was Queen Mab. I hadn't ever considered who _his_ family might be. I hadn't even imagined _he_ would have a family. I supposed, that in an odd sort of way, it made sense.

"… _displeased_ …" Lady Viola finally found her word, "with His Majesty's conduct as of late. She finds it disgraceful that he was bested by a mere mortal girl. A sensitive point for her, to say the very least."

"But that happened seven years ago." I shook my head, not understanding, "Why would it suddenly be a problem now?"

"After your victory you left His Majesty rather devastated." She explained kindly, "For, you see, after the completion of your quest the Winter Queen did not believe him competent enough to retain his Kingship. If a mortal girl, a _child_ , could defeat him then… Well, you understand. His ability to rule was called into question. His Mother granted him the time of seven years in which he could prove to her that his hold over this realm was still absolute. But he failed in this task. She has usurped his throne for the time being until she can decide what it to be done with him. He is in great peril, Miss Sarah. We all are. The Labyrinth is in great need of its Champion once more."


	5. Part 5

Lady Viola left me alone in her office to contemplate the wealth of information she'd dumped at my feet. I considered just sleeping on it, but the world beyond the arched window was steadily growing lighter as the sun came up. And if I was going to make a decision I had to do it now. Her parting words before she'd descended the stairs expressed the fact that the choice to take up the role of Champion was mine. I didn't have to do it. Which I realized meant that I could just go home and forget all about this place and it's problems. It was a tempting thought. It wasn't really like the whole ordeal had anything to do with me, did it? Besides, after everything _he_ put me through… didn't _he_ deserve to be left to _his_ fate?

Wasn't that fair?

' _You say that so often, I wonder what your basis for comparison is?'_

I could almost hear _his_ voice. The flat of my hand struck the table in frustration, causing the armour there to rattle with the force. Pain flew across my palm for an instant before slowly dissipating as it crawled up my wrist.

"Damnit, Jareth!" The words came out of my mouth in a harsh whisper.

I had never spoken that name out loud before. _His_ name. Jareth's name. Not once. To me he was always _him_ or _he_ with cold emphasises that left a bad taste in the back of my throat. It would be a gross understatement to say that I was bitter. The older I got the clearer I saw things and the better I understood what had happened between us. I could understand his point of view, yes, but that didn't excuse what he did to me. I was a _child_. I was a child and he manipulated me, tormented me and threatened me. Yes, he was simply 'living up to my expectations' of him. But I was a child. And he should have known better.

I kicked the leg of the table as a wave of frustration tore through my body. He made me _so mad!_ Because, where he was concerned, everything that should have made sense didn't. And everything that didn't did. I collapsed into the chair at Lady Viola's desk, head in my hands, too worked up to be able to look at the armour set out on the table behind me. I tried to concentrate on my breathing. It wouldn't do to go and have one of my fits now. Not when I had a huge decision to make. My hands dropped to my lap, binding themselves into tight fists to keep from shaking. I took one long, deep, breath and held it until I felt like my lungs might burst. As I released it slowly I focused on relaxing my body. I slouched back into the chair, staring up at the ceiling, feeling better but just as muddled up as before.

' _Things are never as they seem in this place.'_ I told myself.

Maybe, just maybe, I had this all wrong. There was, albeit the slightest of chances, a possibility that I had him all wrong. He _was_ Fae. If I hadn't been sure of that before, I certainly was now. His mother was Queen Mab. Jareth was a member of the Fae Courts. I couldn't use my knowledge of human morality as a meterstick to judge his actions by. What might seem cruel to me could very well be courtly behaviour to him. And what might seem cruel to him might be what I considered basic human decency. Being around him was like trying to speak in a language I had no understanding of. And, if significant cultural differences weren't enough, there was the constantly looming matter of what my feelings for him were.

Simply put: I didn't know what I felt. It was all bound up with everything that had transpired between us. The fear and confusion of a fifteen-year-old child was now hopelessly tangled up with the logic and understanding of a twenty-two-year-old person. It was almost impossible to separate it all out into its individual parts. It wasn't like I'd never tried. Sometimes I would sit and attempt to reason it out. But there was just so much of it. I felt _so much_ for him. It was like drowning. There was awe, to be sure, and an unignorable fascination. He transfixed me, quite, in a way no one else could. There was guilt too. Because I saw the way he looked at me during his final plea. And pity. Because he couldn't understand why I didn't want what he was offering. Why I couldn't do what he asked. Sure, he had been 'exhausted from living up to my expectations.' Yes, I cast him as the villain and he simply played the part. But he cast me as the virtuous heroine. And I was equally tired from following through on what his expectations of me were. He had just as many expectations as I did.

I knew Jareth never wanted Toby. He wanted me. It was always me. He wanted me to choose to stay with him. To choose to let him love me in the greedy, selfish, complicated, storm-like way he would. The only way he knew how. It would be a lie to say that, even now, a part of me didn't want to be able to make that choice. To choose what he wanted me to choose, not because it was what was right for me or what I wanted, but because it would have been so incredibly easy. This was the part I understood the least. How could I want to be with someone who had treated me the way Jareth did? And yet…

I slammed the door on those particular feelings fast and hard. This was as far as my reasoning ever took me. I'd begin to think about him in that light, about his eyes or his arms gently holding me in the Crystal Ballroom, and I'd shut it all down without hesitation. That was a disorienting dance I couldn't bare to fall into again. Besides, at this particular moment I had far more important things to think about. I twisted around in the chair, returning my attention back to the armour. The Champion's armour. My armour.

This had _everything_ to do with me. How could I be so naive as to think it didn't? Of course it did. Telling myself it didn't was a convenient lie to convince myself that my decisions didn't affect this world. But they did. And everything that was happening to the Underground right now was a direct result of what I had done seven years prior. I was the reason Jareth lost his throne. It was all my fault. I had no way of knowing what might happen now that His Majesty was no longer in control. I could only imagine what his mother might do in his stead. I didn't care who sat on the throne. I only cared that the inhabitants of the Underground, my friends, be looked after.

All things Jareth aside, could I honestly walk away knowing full-well what was happening here? Could I just leave my friends to whatever fate would deal them? Going home would mean returning to my average, everyday, mortal life and everything that went with it. I'd go back to my small apartment where I lived alone. To my full class schedule that left me no time to breathe. To worrying after Toby constantly and dealing with the ups and downs of my rocky family-life. I'd spend Friday afternoons with my father and half-brother. My weekends and evenings would be taken up by working at the Library. And my weekdays would alternate between sitting in class and eating my lunch alone in the study hall while doing homework. I never really realized just how bleak my existence was. I supposed I had been too busy fretting over Toby's general safety and wellbeing to notice.

I had been presented with a choice. I could either go back to my dull life and all it's dazzling monochromatic splendor. Or I could stay here, fight to change what was happening, and make my sad human existence actually worth something. What had happened to me? I had been so much more as a child. The old Sarah never would have considered leaving her friends in such trouble and danger. I'd lost my muchness. And now I had the chance to get it back and help the only real friends I'd ever had.

I needed this just as much as they did.

My armour clinked against itself as I descended the staircase. I had expected it to be heavy and awkward. But its perfect fit had a comforting amount of weight that rested easily around my frame. At the foot of the stairs I was met by the beaming faces of those who had kept me company the night before. Break of day sunlight poured into the Keep through the open doorway and glinted off the metal I wore. With all eyes on my gleaming figure I suddenly felt a wave of self-consciousness. I ran a hand along the smooth-backed hair above my ear and along to where it was tied back in a high ponytail. Thank goodness I'd taken to wearing a band around my wrist, just in case. Apparently, you never could tell when you might need a scrunchy.

"Should we be off, then?" I asked, gripping the hilt of the sword at my hip tightly.

"Milady! Thou doth look a vision in thine armour!" Sir Didymus enthused, "T'will be an honor to go forth with thee!"

"Well, don't she look like a proper Knight in her kit." Missus Worm declared from the top of the kitchen table.

"That she do, Missus." The Worm agreed, beside her, "She'll be givin' them a right turn-about up at that Castle."

I could feel myself flushing a little at their complements. They believed in me. I took a deep breath and straightened myself. I could do this. Lady Viola straightened from where she was affectionately ruffling Ambrosius' fur. She gave me a once over and smiled broadly, her amber eyes gleaming as she took me in.

"You look the part, mortal child." Lady Viola extended her hand to me, "I trust you shall face the task at hand with courage."

"I'll try." I allowed her to help me down the final step.

She released me, raised her right hand to the left side of her chest and bowed, "T'was an honor to meet you, mortal child. And a pleasure to bestow upon you your rightful property."

Without a second thought I threw my arms around the woman in a tight hug. She laughed, a sound like a low fire burning in the hearth of my childhood home, and closed her own arms around me. I knew saying 'thank you' was considered rude amongst the Fair Folk but I felt I had to show my gratitude for all she'd done somehow. So I hugged her. She smelt of that familiar combination of electricity and wild violets. And as she crushed me to her in our parting embrace I understood that what I was smelling. It was the scent given off by Faery Magic. Lady Viola let go of me and held my shoulders at arm's length as she studied me one last time. Her face was creased by her wide, beaming smile, and her amber eyes looked close to tears.

"You must venture back the way you came. Take the path through the Black Forest. It will lead you some of the way. Be wary, mortal child. The Labyrinth is ever changing. And not all of my kind will be as sympathetic to your cause as I. They will try very hard to lead you astray from your path. But have heart." She gave my shoulders one last squeeze in farewell, "On your way now, _Lady_ Sarah. Make me proud."

"I will." Tears stung in my eyes at her words.

"Didymus," She called over my shoulder, "you see this Lady right."

"But of course, Lady Viola!" Sir Didymus swept his cap from his head again as he bowed to his old master, "I am sworn to do so!"

Lady Viola let go of my shoulders as Didymus and Ambrosius marched out the Keep door.

"Have fun storming the Castle!" The Worms called together from the table.

A laugh broke from my lips as I waved goodbye to them. With one last nod to Lady Viola, I turned to follow my friends into the front garden. I stepped out into the bright, early morning sunlight, and felt the rush of cool spring air against my skin. I adjusted the fit of my backpack over my shoulders and took a deep breath. I could do this.

"And, Sarah?" Lady Viola spoke from behind me.

I turned to see her leaning in the doorframe.

"Do keep to the path."

Those words clung to me as we waded back into the Black Forest. The trees slowly closed in around us as we trudged up the incline of the hill, threatening the darkness I knew would follow. A suggestion of staying on the path was not one to be taken lightly. I gripped my sword tightly as worry boiled in the pit of my stomach. How would I make sure I didn't leave the path if I couldn't see? Ambrosius had guided us through the forest the first time with ease. But he had done his part and now it was up to me to lead. Rather than plot along behind Sir Didymus and his steed, it was up to me which way we went. The two stuck to my side if not slightly behind me as we plunged still deeper into the Black Forest.

The trees finally wrapped themselves completely around us, enfolding us in their dark embrace. There was no light at all now. Even the small Faeries who had watched us from the canopy overhead, giving off soft silvery glow, had gone elsewhere. I stopped dead in my tracks, terrified to move should I accidently step off the narrow dirt path. I heard Didymus bring Ambrosius to a halt beside me.

"Milady, wherefore have thy stopped?" Sir Didymus questioned.

"Because I can't even see my own hand in front of my face." I replied, attempting to do just that.

He clicked his tongue as he thought for a moment, then said, "Could not Ambrosius and I lead thee somehow? For we are not hindered by the dark. Could thou not follow my voice, mayhaps?"

"Thank you, but I don't think I should risk it." I explained, "It's very important that we don't step off the path, Didymus."

"Did not thou taketh a torch from your bedside table and stow it thusly in your pack?" He asked and I could just imagine the tilt of his head and the perk of his ears as he asked it.

I nearly slammed the heel of my hand to my forehead, "Of course! I'm such a fool. My flashlight."

I shrugged out of my backpack and knelt down to rummage through its contents. My fingers blindly groped between the folds of extra clothing I'd brought, knocking against what felt to be a roll of duct-tape and a small mint-tin I knew was full of sewing supplies. Finally my hand closed around the solid shape of my flashlight. I pulled it out of the back and clicked the switch with my thumb. Nothing.

"What the…?" I said, half to myself, "I just changed the batteries last week."

I knocked the side of the flashlight head with my free hand, thinking perhaps the bulb had somehow jiggled loose and broken the connection. The light sprang to life for an instant before flickering out again. I shook it a few times for good measure, but no matter how many times I clicked the button it didn't come on again. Swearing under my breath, I shoved the useless tool back into my pack. I should have double checked it before I left. Still, I had been so sure I'd replaced the batteries…

"It's not working." I told Didymus as I closed my backpack and slung it back over my shoulders, "I'm not sure what to do now…"

"I am sure the answer is within our grasp, Milady." He reassured me, though, for the first time there was the slightest hint of doubt in his voice.

"I just need to think for a moment." I told him, trying to ignore the rising fear present in my chest, "I just… I just need to figure this out. Let's pretend it's a story."

"A story, Milady?" Didymus asked as I rose to my feet again.

"Yeah, a story." I shrugged, my armour clinking against itself with the motion, "If I pretend a problem is a story I'm telling myself then sure enough I find an answer. I think it just helps me sort through things."

"Well then, how shalt we begin?" The enthusiasm had returned to his tight voice.

I smiled, "The way all good stories do. At the beginning. Once upon a time there was a young Knight…"

"And her most faithful companion!" He chimed in.

"And her most faithful companion," I agreed, feeling better for the distraction from the crushing darkness, "a brave and loyal Knight sworn to aid her in her quest. But the two Knights, and their trusty steed, had wandered into the Black Forest without so much as a torch to light their way. It seemed all was lost until… umm…"

I faltered, struggling to come up with anything. Frustration at my own sheer idiocy and impulsiveness kicked in. Why hadn't I double checked that the flashlight worked? Why hadn't I asked Lady Viola for something before we left? She had plenty of candles just lying around the Keep. Surely she could have spared a few.

"This isn't working either." I sighed and pressed the heel of my hand against my forehead, "All games and storytelling aside, I don't see how we're going to get out of this. No amount of storytelling is going to change the fact that we don't have a light.

Panic was rising in me.

"I have a sword!" My voice, heavy with sarcasm, seemed not to belong to me as it filled the surrounding darkness, "Thank goodness for that! Because what I really need right now is a weapon I can't even use without possibly hurting myself or my friends."

"Milady, all is not forsaken. I am certain -" Didimus started, but I wasn't listening.

I gripped the hilt of the sword at my belt, knowing full-well I was being an ungrateful brat but unable to stop myself, yelling at it as though it were to blame, "Why can't you be something more useful? I don't need a sword, I need to see!"

I tightened my grip on my sword, josseling it in its sheath. How would we get through if I couldn't see? I could hold onto Didymus' hand as we walked, but Ambrosius couldn't be lead like that and we'd very likely end up wandering off the path despite our best efforts. I closed my eyes, hoping an answer would come if I could concentrate hard enough. There simply had to be a solution, but my emotions were flaring and I couldn't think straight.

' _Once upon a time there was a Knight lost in a dark wood…'_ I started again, to myself.

"Milady!" Didymus gasped from beside me.

"Just let me think for a moment." I told him, suspecting his solution would be one of impossible execution or extravagant making.

"But, Milady!" He protested.

"Please, Didymus." I hushed, "I just need a moment."

"But," He made an excited whining noise, "Milady! The answer!"

I opened my eyes, frustration nagging at me. I looked down to see Didymus pointing at my belt with enthusiasm. For an instant I didn't understand how I could see him. Then I followed his indication and looked down at my hip. The blade of my cutlass was _glowing_. When I'd shifted it in its sheath part of the blade had become visible. And from that shone a silvery light so strong it illuminated the forest enough for me to be able to see my companions at my side. I slowly drew the blade from its sheath. The light flooded around us, bringing the shapes of the trees and surrounding plant life into sharp detail.

"See, Milady? See?" Didymus squeaked happily, "Thou hast the answer there!"

"So it would seem, Didymus." I agreed, examining the glowing blade in awe, "Thank you for pointing it out. I'm sorry I didn't listen."

"No matter, Milady." He puffed himself up proudly, "Let us proceed! Tally-ho!"

We did just that with great ease. We followed the thin, winding, dirt path as it took us between closely rooted tree trunks and thick underbrush. I lead the way, my cutlass out before me, astonishment still flooding my veins. How had that happened? Had I said some secret magical word without realising it? Why hadn't Lady Viola told me the sword could glow? I suppose I hadn't thought to ask. That was just the way these things worked. Didymus and Ambrosius followed close behind me. From what I could tell we were making wonderful time despite my being distracted by the sword in my hand.

The only beings in the Black Forest seemed to be us. Didymus monologued contently about how our feats of courage would surely be written in song as we went along. I didn't argue, though my desperate hope was that they wouldn't, whoever _they_ were. He didn't specify who it was that would be singing of our quest. But he talked about it with such certainty that it made me worry that perhaps there were a pack of strolling Goblin minstrels somewhere out there already singing songs about my first journey through the Labyrinth.

' _Sarah, a young Lady fair,_

 _With grass green eyes,_

 _And dark brown hair._

 _She had but thirteen hours,_

 _To run the Labyrinth,_

 _And dodge the King's powers.'_

Stars above, that would never do. I grimaced at the very thought of it. Perhaps if there was someone out there singing about me, they would, mercifully, at least possess the ability to rhyme better than that. As bad a thought as that was, however, it could hardly distract me from the fact that we had been walking through the Black Forest for quite sometime and had yet to run into trouble. Aside from the initial issue of visibility, it was all going rather well. My confidence had returned and I felt cautiously optimistic. We could do this. I could do this. We could make it to the Castle and I could sort out this mess and fix all the problems I'd caused. I had this under complete control.

"You know," I commented when Didymus finally ceased talking long enough to take a breath, "I don't know what I was so worried about. So far this has been easy."

The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. And, as though I'd thrown a switch, the ground below my feet erupted into a violent fit of quakes. I was knocked clean off my feet and went tumbling right over Didymus and Ambrosius. I landed hard in the dirt, fighting to keep hold of my sword, as that harrowing distant scream rattled out across the forest. Just hearing it sent a keen stab of sorrow through my body. I felt I could almost feel the screamer's pain. It was a kind of hollow ache in the deepest pit of my chest where something should have been but wasn't. I lay on the quaking ground, one hand gripping my sword and the other clutching my chest. I could hardly breath it hurt so much.

Something in the back of my mind told me who the scream belonged to, but I refused to believe it.

When would I learn to shut my big mouth and just think before I spoke? This place had a way of pulling the rug right out from under me every time I got even the slightest bit of confidence. And stars forbid I ever get cocky! The landscape took it as a personal challenge if I so much as implied I wasn't on my hands and knees clawing my way through every inch of the maze. All I could do was lie there clutching my chest as the world threatened to shake apart all around me.

Eventually the earthquake tired out. I slowly pushed myself up. Didymus had been thrown from his saddle and was attempting to lure Ambrosius back out from where he was cowering behind a nearby tree. Panic skyrocketed from my guts to my throat. He was off the path. I looked down at where I was sitting. I was off the path too. Because of my tactless comment we had done exactly what Lady Viola told us not to.

"Well." Came a voice from somewhere above me, "Would you look at what I've just found?"

I threw my head back to see a pale man in fine clothing sitting on the back of an elegant black horse. He grinned down at me menacingly, his white teeth moviestar perfect in the light of my still glowing cutlass. From around us on all sides more people, if that was even what they were, closed in silently. Some were on horseback and others were on foot. But they were all dressed as though they were members of a medieval hunting party.

' _Perfect.'_ I thought bitterly to myself, ' _How could this get any worse?'_


	6. Part 6

It got worse. It got _so_ much worse. I kicked and screamed and fought against the Hunters forcing me into some kind of net. It was as thin as a spider's web but withstood my desperate flailing as though it were made from steel wire. Somewhere beside me I could hear Didymus and Ambrosius snarling and yipping at the Hunters. I couldn't see what was happening. My sword was mixed up with me in the net, it's dazzling light all but blinding me. I could only assume that my friends were also being ensnared. The group of Hunters laughed and shouted back and for with one another, making jokes that compared us to wild animals.

"Let my friends go!" I screamed as my net and I were dragged roughly along the forest floor, "Let them go!"

My demand only brought forth more laughter.

"Unhand Milady at once and I shall allow thee to escape with thine lives!" Didymus' voice came from somewhere near me, full of gallantry and courage.

He shouted threats and challenges at our captors all the while as they dragged us through the forest. I bashed against rocks and roots and goodness only knows what else. I couldn't see for the intense glow still coming off the blade of my sword. It was tangled up in the thin netting with me. The spider's silk of the net wrapped around my limbs as we went. The fabric constricted around me, biting into my skin until finally we came to a jarring halt.

My vision swam before my eyes, distorted from the journey. Around me, voices and laughter blurred together as the world spun. I had no sense of direction. It had been lost somewhere along the way. The world beyond the net was filtered through the light from my cutlass. Ghostly figures faded in and out of view in the glimmering haze. My vision danced. No, everything danced. Fear latched onto me with an icy hold.

" _Sarah."_

The voice came from somewhere not quite within of me and not quite without. I shut my eyes against the laughing figures that slid about as the world teetered precariously on edge. If I opened them again, I was certain I'd be back in the Crystal Ballroom. Somehow I had slipped back there. I was sure of it. Gentle music was coming from the same place as the voice. A place in between my dreams and reality. I knew who the voice belong to. It was unmistakable.

"No." I whispered, gripping the ground below me with white-knuckled fists,"No. This is different. You're not in the Ballroom. You're disoriented, is all. This isn't the same."

" _Sarah."_

I took a slow breath and opened my eyes. My vision had stopped swaying. I was lying flat on my back, still tangled in the net, the cutlas somewhere beside me. I felt around for the weapon clumsily until my fingers smashed against the ornate hilt. Pain shot through my hand. I sat up, snatching up the sword. It was completely useless against the net. Thin as it was, it wouldn't yield against the blade. With absolutely no grace whatsoever, I worked at shoving the sword back into its sheath.

The instant the blade slid home I was plunged into complete pitch. The music vanished like a switch had been flipped. I blinked against the sudden darkness a few times. There looked to be a kind of campfire burning some ways ahead of me. The ghostly figures from before where now shadowy. They were either standing or sitting around the fire. I rubbed my eyes with my fingertips, desperate for clarity.

"Come on eyes." I mumbled to myself.

When I looked around again, more detail presented itself. The light of the fire slowly brought the surrounding forest into focus. This must have been the Hunters' camp. It certainly resembled one. Coloured tents of fine fabric created a wide circle around the central fire. Horses were tethered together on the far side, opposite from where I was now. There must have been at least fifteen Hunters in total. Their shapes, some dark silhouettes against the fire light, littered the camp Now that my wits had returned, I could only begin to imagine what they might do with us.

"Milady," Didymus squeaked from beside me, "art thou injured?"

"No." I shook my head, "A little bruised, maybe. But I'm alright. You're not hurt, are you? Is Ambrosius alright?"

"My faithful steed and I are yet unharmed." He explained from his place in the net beside mine, "We cannot allow these ruffians to keep us from our quest! I shall take them all, one after another, if I must!"

"Shh, Didymus." I hushed him gently, "You're very brave to say so. But give me a moment to think. I'm sure there's a way out of this."

"Anything for you, Milady." He nodded and shut his mouth tight.

Before I had time to even glance around the camp again a howling sound came from somewhere to my right. It was a low, reverberating, sound that rose in pitch as it carried on to its final note. I knew that howl. I whipped around to find the source. Not a meter out of reach, next to one of the tents in a net similar to mine, was a monstrous looking creature I knew as well as I knew myself. He had two great horns atop his head, long floppy ears that hung by either side of his kind face and thick reddish fur.

"Ludo!" I couldn't stop myself from calling out to him, "Oh, Ludo! There you are!"

"Sawah!" He replied in his low, rough but comforting voice, "Ludo miss Sawah."

"I missed you too." I stuck my fingers through the gaps in my net, trying to reach out to him despite my restraints.

"Sir Ludo!" Didymus called out beside me, "I see thou hath been captured as well, my most valiant brother in arms! Perhaps together we might break our bonds!"

Ludo let out another howl, happily agreeing.

"It would seem our newest bounty is acquainted with the beast we took this morning, Fabian." A woman remarked from where she sat by the fire.

The man who had been riding the black stallion strolled towards us, "It would appear so, Miranda. How fun for us!"

The nearer he came the stronger the scent of electricity and wild violets became. It was mixed with the musky smell of decaying plant life and brisk autumn winds. But it was there. The Hunters were Fae. What they might want with us, I didn't know. I was only certain that I didn't want to hang around long enough to find out.

The one called Fabian strolled closer, looking me over as though he were appraising my worth, "You know, friends, I do believe this is the little mortal bratling who caused all the trouble for that Royal Runt of a Ruler, Jareth."

Something defensive inside of me clicked into place. I glared at the man called Fabian through the gaps in the net. The protective urge was a strong presence in my chest. It came from high up on the left side, just under my ribs. I didn't want to think about it too much, but it was there. And it must have showed on my face.

Fabian laughed, a sharp sound like the crack of summer lightning, "She does not like my speaking ill of the King! Though, I heard when he offered you all he had you didn't hesitate to slight him and refuse. Is that true, mortal girl?"

He crouched down in front of me, laughter in his forest green eyes. If there hadn't been something inherently cruel about his face he might have been handsome. His wavy, gold-blonde, hair was swept back from his angular features. His thin mouth pulled into a smile that creased his face as he stared me down. I couldn't help but pull back from his sharp gaze.

"Oh, she blushes." He commented, running his long fingers across his mouth, "Could it be you've returned to accept His-Worthless-Majesty's proposal after all?"

Laughter from the other Hunters filled the air like a chorus of magpies.

Fabian made a show of examining my armour, "You seek to rescue your Love from his guaranteed destruction. I can assure you, mortal girl, that I would serve you as a far better Lover than he ever could."

Fury filled my veins and terror filled my stomach.

"Thou darest to speak to Milady in that way!? Philistine!" Didymus' outburst came like a tiny explosion, "Hold your tongue, Sir, or I shall see it removed!"

"Your pet is rather cute, _Milady_." Fabian remarked, mockingly, "But I can see you are not tempted by my offer. Shame. You are a rather delicious creature. I can see why Jareth, in all his imbecilic nature, would fancy a mortal like you."

"If I'm the one you want then let my friends go." I told him, my voice stronger than I thought it would be.

"And simply give up over half our quarry? I think not, mortal girl." He made a tsking sound with his tongue, amusement in his eyes.

"I'll trade you for them." I pressed, suddenly aware of all the junk I'd thrown into my backpack, "I have treasures from the mortal world that -"

"I want none of your trinkets." He dismissed me with a wave of his hand.

My mind raced for options, "Fine. I'll… I'll make you a deal."

At this his eyes lit up, "A deal?"

"That's right." I had him interested.

He rubbed his hand over his chin, playing hard to get, "What would this deal entail?"

"Ugh…" I was grasping at straws, "A game. We'll play a game. A riddle game. You ask me any riddle you want. If I get it right, you let me and my friends go. All four of us. With all our belongings. But if I get it wrong, if you win, we'll go with you without a fight."

"Milady!" Didymus protested, "You cannot trust these fiends!"

"Sawah!" Ludo joined, distressed.

"It's alright." I tried to sound convincing, "I know what I'm doing."

Fabian flashed me a crocodile's grin, "Let us play."

He released me from the net. The other Hunters closed in around us more tightly as Fabian paced back and forth, making a big show of selecting the riddle he'd ask. I knew I was in trouble. This was a dangerous game to be playing. And just because I'd outlined my terms neatly didn't mean he'd follow them in the way I wanted him to. But I couldn't see much else in the way of options. Whatever this lot had planned for us, it wouldn't be good. Of that, at least, I was certain. Finally, Fabian stopped pacing and turned to face me.

"I shall ask you three riddles, mortal girl." He said, his voice clear and confident.

"That's not - " I bit off my own sentence before I could say _that word_ , "… what we agreed on."

"I never agreed to your terms." He shrugged, making the other Hunters cackle like crows around us, "You ask for so much. And offer so little in return. No, the game shall be the asking of three riddles. If you answer all correctly, I shall allow you and these creatures to go. But if you so much as answer one wrong, I shall keep you all as my quarry and do with you as I see fit."

Frustration made my voice go tight, "Fine. Let's play."

Fabian flashed me another wicked grin, "At night they come without being fetched. By day they are lost without being stolen. What are they?"

Fabian smirked. The other Hunters laughed and joked around us. They didn't think I had a chance. But I could taste the answer on the tip of my tongue. It had to do with light, I was sure of it. Fireflies? Candles? No, that wasn't right. A candle's light _was_ stolen by whomever snuffed it out. Fireflies were closer but… it didn't feel quite right.

"Stars." I answered, my voice soft but sure.

Fabian's face turned sour and the Hunters around us fell silent. I was right. The look in his eyes told me as much. I had to fight the smile trying to pry its way onto my face. It would do me no good getting over confident just because I had answered one question right.

"Well?" I asked, unable to stop myself from lifting my chin, "Is that right?"

"I should have known better than to ask you about the stars, mortal girl. I hear tell that you're well versed in their nature. Did the whey-faced Goblin King really change them 'round just for you?"

More laughter from the Hunters. The woman called Miranda tossed her head back, her long tresses of fiery red hair sweeping behind her shoulders, as she cackled like a blue-jay. The sound was harrowing. Fabian was trying to get me to lash out. To get angry and lose my focus. I might have done just that were I still a hot-headed teenager with the ego of a stage actress. But I had learned a thing or two about keeping my temper at bay since then. Besides, that was not the game I had agreed to play.

I took a breath and said, "Just ask the next question."

Fabian frowned, but did just that, "What is a bell that does not ring, yet its knell makes the angels sing?"

I knew this one.

"Bluebells." I replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Fabian, you fool!" Miranda snarled as she flew to her feet, "Asking her of stars and flowers? Things she knows and understands! What are you playing at? Do you want her to best you?!"

He turned on her, voice seething with rage, "This is not what we were promised! Did our Queen not tell us that the mortal girl would be quick to her temper and over confident in victory?! I handed her that first question thinking it would lead to her undoing. But there she sits, unchanged in her success!"

Miranda struck him, the back of her hand kissing his cheek in a sharp crack that echoed through the clearing. The entire forest held its breath as it waited on Fabian's next act. He didn't so much as move a muscle. He stood there, face turned and downcast with the momentum rendered by Miranda's blow. She glared at him down the length of her nose.

Her voice was gentle when she spoke to him, "Your tongue is clumsy. You speak carelessly and forget your place. We have done as our Queen asked. We have the girl. But your incompetence will lose her and that I cannot abide. I allowed you this task because you made the capture, but clearly I misjudged your capabilities. You are no longer my second. Cordelia?"

"Yes, Mistress?" A woman with dark hair and eyes like sapphires stepped forward out of the shadows.

"You shall take his place at my side." Miranda instructed, then she turned on me, "I shall ask the final question and finish this nonsense. We are wasting time."

"You can't." I forced the words past my lips in spite of the terror her amber gaze inflicted upon me, "It's against the rules."

"What," She demanded through gritted teeth, "do you mean by that, mortal girl?"

I swallowed hard and stood my ground, "I didn't agree to play with you. I agreed to play with him."

I pointed to where Fabian was still standing motionless. Against Miranda I wouldn't stand a chance. I only had to glance at her to know that. She was too calm, too calculating. A question from her would be outside my realm of ability to answer. I straightened my shoulders, trying to look confident, and held Miranda's gaze. My only chance at answering the third riddle correctly hinged on it coming from Fabian. And she knew that. Miranda pressed her lips together until they were little more than a thin scarlet line. I could almost see the gears of her imagination turning as she tried to find some loophole in the rules we had set. But I had her.

"Very well, mortal girl." Her voice was almost a growl, "Fabian shall ask you the final riddle, as agreed."

The relief I felt was gone in the time it took to blink. Miranda's lips parted and a predatory smile snaked across her features. Her disturbingly sharp teeth gleamed in the dancing firelight. She knew something I didn't. My heart plummeted within my chest, beating far faster than I believed any human heart should.

"After all," Miranda purred, "you made your deal with him. Not me. Fabian."

"Yes, Mistress?" He finally moved, turning to face her.

"Ask her something of which she has little understanding or I shall lead The Hunt carrying your head on a pike." She ordered, "Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mistress." Fabian bowed deeply to her before turning back to look at me.

All of his former bravatto had vanished as though the slap dealt to him had stripped him of his showmanship. Fabian even looked different. His face seemed older somehow… tired. He stared down at me for what felt like a long time as he turned over possible questions. The other Hunters no longer laughed or sneered. Their circle stood silent as they waited. Even the trees seemed to be holding their breath in anticipation. My heart hammered in my ears.

Finally, he asked the last riddle, "If you break me, I do not stop working. If you touch me, I may be snared. If you lose me, nothing will matter. What am I?"

My mouth went dry. I had no idea what the answer might be. I had nothing. My floundering must have shown on my face because all of a sudden the clearing erupted into fits of howling laughter. Some of the Hunters took up a chant, with great enthusiasm, as though they had pre-rehearsed it.

" _She doesn't know! She doesn't know!_

 _It's so cruel to ask her of things she doesn't know!_

 _How could she know? How could she know?_

 _How could the mortal girl ever know?!"_

Their peels of laughter rang through the forest and reverberated straight through me like a winter wind. Even Miranda tossed her head back in mirth as she cackled. Over the roar of noise I could only just hear Didymus shouting words of encouragement as well as continuing his threats of dueling for my honor. Ludo howled against the bone chilling racket, clamping his large hands over his floppy ears. Even Ambrosius whined and yelped. How could I possibly think when my head was swimming with all the noise? Shouts of 'she'll never be able to answer' and 'why, the very concept is foreign to her' and 'she hasn't a hope' broke over the endless ocean of sound. I shut my eyes tight, trying to concentrate.

"So then, mortal girl," Miranda's strong voice cut through the roar like a knife, "what say you? Have you an answer for us?"

The clearing settled into blessed silence at her question. I kept my eyes shut. I could do this. I just needed to find the answer within the question. That's the trick with riddles. The answer is always there from the beginning. You just have to sift through the nonsense until you find it.

' _If you break me, I do not stop working. If you touch me, I may be snared. If you lose me, nothing will matter. What am I?'_

What could break and keep working? What could be captured when touched? What would render everything pointless if it was lost? These were the questions the riddle presented me with. What didn't I understand? What concept was foreign to me? What was something I had little experience with? These were the clues the Hunters had unwittingly given to me. The answer was somewhere within them. My hands trembled with the knowledge that if I couldn't find the answer I would doom my friends along with myself. An icy hand reached into me and took hold of my heart.

Something panged in my chest. It was like the sun had broken over the horizon to thaw the fear clutching my insides. I understood. My eyes flew open and fell onto Fabian. He stared down at me with a look of burning hatred. He wanted me to fail spectacularly. Evidently, though, he was not someone who possessed a wide imagination. In all his mocking of me, he had clung to one subject and taken great joy in my reactions. I couldn't imagine him deviating from a subject that reaped so rich a reward.

"The Heart." The answer broke from my lips.

A cry of rage and anguish tore from Miranda's body as she flung herself to the ground. I jumped back. The Hunter called Cordelia dropped to her knees beside Miranda and draped herself over screaming woman, stroking her hair in a consoling sort of way. Fabian's face paled whiter than freshly fallen snow. He too collapsed to the ground but no one rushed to his aid. I watched as madness broke out all around me. Hunters cried out for answers, demanding to know if Miranda would really let my friends and I go or not. I didn't know what to do. My hand hovered over the hilt of my sword but I didn't know what I could do with it. It was useless against the nets that held my friends. I bit my lip as I watched the chaos quickly unfolding around me.

Miranda sat up suddenly, tossing Cordelia to one side, and thrusted an accusing finger in my direction, "You! You wretched mortal girl! You and that Miserable Fop of a King deserve one another! I hope you both rot!"

"We had a deal." I stood my ground, "Let my friends and I go."

At this an odd sort of half-smile quirked across Miranda's mouth, "That's right... The deal. Cordelia, release the mortal girl's companions."

Cordelia quickly did as she was told. My friends gathered around me once they were freed from the thin nets. Miranda did not move from where she had thrown herself. Instead she looked up at us from the ground, that odd little smile still on her lips. I swallowed hard. Once again I had the feeling that she knew something I didn't.

"As per your agreement with Fabian," She glanced over to where he was still laying in a heap not three feet from her, "you are free to go. But go quickly, mortal girl, for you did not make a deal with me. And my Hunters do so love The Hunt."

Adrenaline surged through my veins at her words. Without hesitation I drew my sword from it's sheth. Then, I flung myself into the trees. My friends followed, crashing through the underbrush of the forest along side me until they inevitably over took my pace. Ambrosius carried Didymus into the lead with ease, bounding over fallen logs and rocks as though it were the agility course he was born to run. Ludo ran down on all fours with surprising speed. When he realized I was falling behind, he slowed until we were neck in neck again.

"Ludo carry Sawah!" He called to me over the sound of his thunderous footfalls.

I could only nod, my breathing too occupied with pumping air to the rest of my body to be able to reply. He slowed even more and I threw myself at him. I managed to catch hold of his thick fur. The camp-fire scent of it filled my lungs. I managed to haul myself up onto his back despite the motion of his gate, which was much like a bear's. Each lumbering movement threatened to throw me off even once I was seated properly. I had to bend low and grip fistfulls of his fur to keep from being tossed backwards as we flew through the pitch black forest, my sword lighting our way.

Behind us I could hear the sound of horse hooves pounding the soft earth. A quick glance over my shoulder told me that the Hunters were nearly on our heels. Their eyes gleamed in the dark like wolves. I turned away from the harrowing sight and buried my face in Ludo's fur, holding on for dear life and hoping desperately that we would outpace our pursuers.


End file.
